Month

Archives: October 2003

Rail Old Baghdad Explosions Guerrillas

Rail, Old Baghdad ExplosionsGuerrillas sabotaged a US military train shipment near Haditha west of Baghdad on Thursday, after which the shipment was looted of equipment, including computers. Afficionados of the film Lawrence…

Mitchell Land Reform Essential For

Mitchell: Land Reform essential for DemocracyProfessor Timothy Mitchell, of the New York University Political Science Department, spoke on contemporary Middle East affairs in Ann Arbor on Thursday. Mitchell is among the more…

Some Business Dealings Of Cpa In Iraq

Some Business Dealings of the CPA in Iraq may contravene International LawI was glad finally to see some experts in international law raise questions about the American shock therapy plan for Iraq,…

Feldman Denies Writing Report Informed

Feldman Denies Writing ReportInformed Comment received an email from Professor Noah Feldman saying that he had not, as al-Zaman alleged, written a report for the CPA on the likely form of the…

Eyewitness Account Of Attack On Al

Eyewitness Account of the Attack on the Al-Rashid HotelPosted by permission:"10/26/03Today things hit closer to home than previous acts of violence here in Baghdad. It was near 6:00 AM in the morning…

Reading Into Mind Of Terrorist See Mark

Reading into the Mind of a TerroristSee Mark Clayton's summary of some of the techniques used by the 9/11 hijackers to stay in their monstrous mindset. It is based in part on…

4 Us Troops Killed 1 Wounded 7

4 US troops killed, 1 wounded, 7 Ukrainian Troops wounded Guerrillas in Blid, 60 miles north of Baghdad, attacked US troops Tuesday with rockets and automatic weapons, killing two. Monday night, north…

Feldman Iraq Will Be Islamic Republic

Feldman: Iraq will be an Islamic Republic at Odds with the WestNoah Feldman, an independent consultant to the Coalition Provisional Authority and to President Bush has [written a report]* to the White…

Igc Sees Foreign Fighters Supported By

IGC sees Foreign Fighters supported by BaathistsSources in the Interim Governing Council told al-Zaman that there is evidence that between 200 and 400 foreign fighters, from Sudan, Yemen, Palestine and even Chechnya,…

Thai Prime Minister Threatens Pull Out

Thai Prime Minister threatens pull-out of TroopsThe Thai prime minister said Wednesday that the 447 Thai troops at Karbala would be pulled out of the country if they appeared to be in…

Sistani Representative Wounded In

Sistani Representative Wounded in attack in KarbalaShaykh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbala'i was wounded in the head and five guards were also wounded when assailants tossed hand grenades and fired machine guns at him…

One Us Soldier Killed 7 Wounded Deputy

One US Soldier Killed, 7 wounded; Deputy Mayor of Baghdad AssassinatedTuesday: Guerrillas fired from a rooftop into the main US military base in Tikrit, wounding at least one US soldier from the…

Iraq War Death Toll 8700 Iraqi Troops

Iraq War Death Toll: 8,700 Iraqi Troops, 3,400 Iraqi CiviliansA new study by The Project on Defence Alternatives, based on field hospital data and US government reports, finds that approximately 13,000 Iraqis…

Iraqs Christians Meet Ask For Own

Iraq's Christians Meet, ask for own ProvinceA conference of Chaldean and Assyrian Christians met in Baghdad Monday, and came to two principal decisions (al-Zaman). They decided to seek a province of their…

Us Intelligence Failures On Iraq Wmd

US Intelligence Failures on Iraq WMD Rooted in Trusting Chalabi, Likud, NeoconsCarl W. Ford Jr., the just-retired assistant secretary of State for intelligence and research, has given an extended interview to the…

Greenstock Charges Foreign Terrorists

Greenstock Charges Foreign Terrorists in Monday's Wave of AttacksSpecial representative of the British government in Iraq, Jeremy Greenstock, told the BBC that the modus operandi of the suicide carbombings of the Red…

Bangladesh Portugal Will Not Send

Bangladesh, Portugal, will not send TroopsThe US military's desperate search for an international division of peace enforcers in Iraq has pretty much completely failed. Bangladesh and Portugal, whom the US had pressed…

57 Of Americans Want Some Troops To

57% of Americans want some Troops to Come Home;50% of Americans Disapprove Bush Handling of IraqAccording to a CNN/ USA Today poll taken Oct. 24-26, exactly half of Americans disapprove of the…

Iraqs Neighbors Meet On Crisis Foreign

Iraq's Neighbors meet on CrisisThe foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors will meet in Damascus in early November, with interim Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari representing Iraq. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and…

Khamenei Warns Of Secret Plans To

Khamenei Warns of Secret Plans to Dismember IraqIn an interview with al-Zaman, Iran's Supreme Jurisprudent, Ali Khamenei, said that he was extremely worried by the complex and confusing issue of Iraq, and…

Optimistic Pessimistic Views Of

Optimistic, Pessimistic Views of KurdistanA friend of mine in northern Iraq sent me the following recently, which I reprint with permission. It is more upbeat than the news from the Sunni Arab…

66 Of Europeans Think Iraq War Was

66% of Europeans think Iraq War was UnjustifiedMeanwhile, a European poll found that two-thirds of Europeans felt the US war on Iraq was unjustified. Even among the publics of US allies, the…

Breaking News Who Was Behind Baghdad

Breaking News: Who was behind the Baghdad Blitz of October 27?As you all know by now, car bombings targeted a Red Cross HQ and three police stations in Baghdad Monday morning, in…

Was Wolfowitz Target Brig

Was Wolfowitz the Target?Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey denied that the rocket attack on the al-Rasheed Hotel was aimed at assassinating Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, arguing that the attack was plotted…

Iraqis Prefer Technocrats Al Zaman

Iraqis Prefer TechnocratsAl-Zaman reports a poll indicating that most Iraqis prefer technocrats (engineers, physicians, scientists, etc.) as their leaders, and show much less trust in traditional politicians or Muslim clergymen. There seemed…

3 Us Soldiers Killed 4 Wounded Friday

3 US Soldiers Killed, 4 wounded FridayGuerrillas near Samarra' about an hour's drive north of Baghdad fired mortars at the US base there Friday, killing two US soldiers and wounding four. A…

Muqtada Al Sadr Condemns Interim

Muqtada al-Sadr Condemns Interim Governing Council: "As bad as Saddam"The young Shiite clerical leader Muqtada al-Sadr lashed out at the US-appointed Interim Governing Council on Friday, according to AP. He said that…

Lack Of Medicines For Chronic Diseases

Lack of Medicines for Chronic DiseasesThe interim Iraqi health ministry has contacted pharmaceutical companies worldwide, urgently seeking medicines to treat chronic diseases. The ministry lacks many such medicines in its storehouses. (al-Sharq…

Elections In Tikrit In Apparent

Elections in TikritIn an apparent reversal of Paul Bremer's opposition to municipal elections, Tikrit elected a city council on Thursday. Apparently in the absence of voter registration roles, authorities granted each known…

Guerrillas Set Off Bomb In Fallujah On

Guerrillas set off a bomb in Fallujah on Thursday, wounding a US paratrooper. Guerrillas set off a bomb near a pipeline in northern Iraq, killing two Iraqi Civil Defense Corps members. 10…

Iraqi Interim Interior Ministry

The Iraqi interim Interior Ministry announced that it has hired 1000 school guards to prevent the kidnapping of children and the holding of them for ranson. Lack of security has discouraged some…

British Representative In Iraq Jeremy

British representative in Iraq Jeremy Greenstock complained Thursday about Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq. He warned Iran to cease using them to interfere. He named the Badr Corps of the Supreme Council…

Pessimistic Rumsfeld Memo Leaked Donald

Pessimistic Rumsfeld Memo LeakedDonald Rumsfeld sent a memo to four of his associates in the Department of Defense on October 16 that worried about how the US is doing in the war…

Guerrillas Kill 2 Us Troops Wound 10

Guerrillas Kill 2 US troops, wound 10Guerrillas killed two US troops at Kirkuk on Wednesday, according to al-Sharq al-Awsat; this report was not confirmed at press time by the US military. The…

Firefight In Najaf Group Of Armed Men

Firefight in NajafA group of armed men attacked the Najaf headquarters of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq at midnight Tues.-Weds. Four of six assailants were apprehened, and a spokseman…

Demonstration In Khalidiya Hundreds Of

Demonstration in KhalidiyaHundreds of protesters rallied on Wednesday in the Western Sunni city of Khalidiya, demanding that three women arrested by the Americans be released. AFP alleges that US soldiers went to…

Arrest Warrant For Muqtada Al Sadr

Arrest Warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr?The Guardian reports today that sources close to the Interim Governing Council say an arrest warrant is being prepared for fiery young Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. They say…

Demonstration In Fallujah Arrest Of

Demonstration in FallujahThe arrest of a senior prayer leader in Fallujah sparked a protest Wednesday by 100 religious and tribal leaders. AFP says they shouted "Death to Americans, their spies and collaborators"…

Demonstration Tuesday In Karbala Ap

Demonstration Tuesday in KarbalaAP reports that a demonstration was held by followers of Muqtada al-Sadr in Karbala on Tuesday to protest the closing of the al-Mukhayyam Mosque and the arrest of numerous…

Zogby Criticizes Cheney Use Of Zogby

Zogby Criticizes Cheney Use of Zogby PollThe Zogby polling group did a sounding in Iraq last month, some results of which were trumpeted by US Vice President Dick Cheney in an interview,…

Dozens Demonstrate In Baghdad Against

Dozens Demonstrate in Baghdad against Desecration of KoranIt started with a minor incident. A female employee going into the Ministry of Petroleum had to subject to a daily search of her purse.…

Evangelicals In Congress Seek To Shape

Evangelicals in Congress seek to Shape Iraqi ConstitutionSen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. have inserted provisions into the legislation that would authorize $87 bn. for Iraq, according to Knight…

Igc Moves Against Sadr Militia In

IGC moves Against Sadr Militia in KarbalaThe Interim Governing Council sent Iraqi police into the al-Mukayam mosque in the holy city of Karbala Tuesday to arrest armed militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.…

Human Rights Watch Us Killings Of

Human Rights Watch: US killings of Civilians are not InvestigatedHuman Rights Watch maintains that US troops have killed over a hundred Iraqi civlians over the past few months, but that the US…

Authority Of Sistani Versus Muqtada Al

Authority of Sistani versus Muqtada al-Sadr in IraqAlex Berenson argues in the NYT that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has much wider support among Iraqi Shiites than Muqtada al-Sadr, and that the latter…

Armed Sadrists Take Back Their Hq Near

Armed Sadrists take Back their HQ near BasraShaikh Murtada al-Hajjaj, the assistant head of the office of Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra, said that 100 Sadrist militiamen succeeded in taking back control of…

Igc Hopes New Finances Will Grant More

IGC hopes new Finances will Grant more Autonomy from USSome of the reasons for which the US did not initially want a separate fund for UN monies in Iraq may be apparent…

Iranian Intelligence Infiltrates

Iranian Intelligence Infiltrates KarbalaAbdul Hussein Mahmoud, the caretaker of the mausoleum of Imam Husayn in Karbala alleges that Iranian intelligence agents have slipped into Iraq in the guise of pilgrims visiting the…

One Us Soldier Killed 5 Wounded In Iraq

One US soldier Killed, 5 wounded in IraqGuerrillas exploded an improvised explosive device as a patrol of the 82nd Airborne Division was passing near Fallujah on Monday at 1 pm Iraq time,…

New Un Controlled Fund For Iraq Bush

New UN-controlled Fund for IraqThe Bush administration reluctantly allowed the establishment of a development fund for Iraq that would not be under US control, but rather under that of the UN. Without…

Iraq Not On Turkeys Agenda Turkish

Iraq not on Turkey's AgendaTurkish Interior Minister Cemil Cicek said Monday that the ball is in the court of the US and the Interim Governing Council with regard to the question of…

Sharons Attack On Syria Soured Plan To

Sharon's attack on Syria Soured Plan to provide Electricity to IraqA deal for Syria to provide electricity to northern Iraq in return for exports of Iraqi petroleum, worked out by Colin Powell…

Kirkuk Railway Police Strike For Back

Kirkuk railway Police Strike for back PayHundreds of Kirkuk railway police went on strike Monday, protesting the arrears in their salaries. Demonstrators said they hadn't been paid for three months.

Us Troops Accused Of Using Excessive

US Troops Accused of Using Excessive ForceA new report suggests that US troops in Iraq have used excessive force and inflicted unnecessary casualties on civilians. To be fair, the US military has…

Kurds Uneasy In New Iraq Kurdish

Kurds uneasy in New IraqThe Kurdish minority in Iraq fought enthusiastically alongside US troops to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Its two simple demands are that Iraq become a loose Federation in which there…

Us Hq Large Hotels In Baghdad

US HQ, Large Hotels in Baghdad Barricaded; the Rise of the Luxury Hotel Militias.Journalist Hazim al-Amin has returned to Baghdad for al-Hayat, and reports that there is a big difference between the…

Barzani Greets Turkish Indecision On

Barzani Greets Turkish Indecision on TroopsIn an interview with al-Sharq al-Awsat in the United Arab Emirates, Massoud Barzani greeted the Turkish government's new state of indecision about whether to send troops to…

Two Us Soldiers Killed One Injured At

Two US Soldiers Killed, One injured at Kirkuk Guerrillas near Kirkuk fired on a US patrol with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns late Saturday, killing two US soldiers and wounding a…

Interim Council Establishes Security

Interim Council establishes Security Committee Iraq's Interim Governing Council responded to the recent violence in the holy city of Karbala between a cleric's militia and US troops by forming a new Security…

Economic Privatization And

Economic Privatization and Liberalization in Iraq, Kuwait--maybe even EgyptThe US is going ahead with privatizing 12 state owned enterprises, mainly services, in Iraq. This step is technically illegal in international law, despite…

Bin Laden Tape On Iraq Thing That

Bin Laden Tape on IraqThe thing that always strikes me about Bin Laden is how hysterical he remains all the time in his pronouncements, which contrasts starkly with his calm personality. In…

Turks May Not Send Troops To Iraq

Turks May not Send Troops to IraqTurkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey has not made a "must go" decision about sending troops to Iraq, and that they will not…

Four Us Soldiers Killed 18 Wounded In

Four US Soldiers Killed, 18 woundedIn addition to the three US soldiers killed in Karbala on Friday--one of whom the Arabic press is calling a senior officer-- (see below), another was killed…

Demonstrations In Baghdad And Basra

Demonstrations in Baghdad and Basra Against US by ShiitesThe aftermath of the gunbattle in Karbala between US troops and the tribal paramilitary of an obscure cleric named Mahmud al-Hasani (Mahmoud al-Hassani) was…

Breaking News Gunfight In Karbala For

Breaking News: Gunfight in KarbalaFor twelve hours from Thursday night into Friday early morning, US military police engaged in a gunfight with Shiite militiamen guarding the home of Ayatollah Mahmud al-Hasani (Mahmoud…

Bombings And Attempted Bombings In

Bombings and Attempted Bombings in North Iraq; Pipeline HitThe northern pipeline was bombed again Thursday, setting back US hopes that exports would resume from the northern fields. A lot of the petroleum…

Un Resolution On Iraq Sign Of Bush

UN Resolution on Iraq a Sign of Bush Administration DesperationThe widespread interpretation of Thursday's successful US-backed UN Security Resolution on Iraq, that it was a victory for the Bush administration, is all…

Us Army Arrests Sadrists In East

US Army Arrests Sadrists in East BaghdadThe US military went into East Baghdad on Thursday with tanks, which stood guard while the soldiers took control of a municipal building and arrested several…

Al Qaeda Takes Credit For Bombing Of

Al-Qaeda Takes Credit for bombing of Baghdad HotelGuerrillas raked the front of the Baghdad Hotel with gunfire on Wednesday. It had been the target of a bomb on Sunday.Al-Qaeda has claimed credit…

Barzani Warns Again On Turkish Troops

Barzani Warns Again on Turkish troopsKurdish leader Masoud Barzani gave an interview to al-Sharq al-Awsat in which he warned again of the severed dangers posed to Iraqi security by the US plan…

Former State Department Analyst Powell

Former State Department Analyst: Powell Exaggerated at UNGreg Thielman, a former State Department weapons analyst says that he watched Colin Powell's performance at the UN in February with dismay, aware that the…

Mihri Muqtadas Thugs Include Former

Mihri: Muqtada's thugs include former BaathistsMuhammad Baqir al-Mihri, a Shiite clergyman, gave an interview to al-Sharq al-Awsat in Kuwait in which he condemed the movement of Muqtada al-Sadr, saying it has no…

Conference On Human Rights And

Conference on Human Rights and the EnvironmentA conference on Human Rights and the Environment was held in Kut on Wednesday. (al-Sharq al-Awsat). Here is where I think the positive should be underlined…

Shiite Militias Clash At Karbala Bloody

Shiite Militias Clash at KarbalaA bloody clash took place in the Shiite holy city of Karbala on Tuesday between Muqtada al-Sadr's army of the Mahdi and militiamen loyal to Grand Ayatollah Ali…

Cpa Charges Muqtada In Bombings

CPA charges Muqtada in BombingsThe Coalition Provisional Authority is charging Muqtada al-Sadr with being behind many of the recent suicide bombings and assassination attempts, including the bombing of the Baghdad Hotel on…

Petroleum Minister Governor Of Diyala

Petroleum Minister, Governor of Diyala Narrowly escape AssassinationThe Interim Petroleum Minister, Ibrahim Bahr al-`Ulum and an aid to Interim Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi narrowly escaped being assassinated in Baghdad on Sunday,…

One Us Soldier Killed Two Wounded Four

One US soldier killed, two wounded; Four British soldiers woundedGuerrillas killed an American soldier and wounded two others in Tikrit on Monday with a grenade attack around one pm local time. Guerrillas…

King Abdullah Ii Asks Turkey Not To

King Abdullah II Asks Turkey not to Send TroopsKing Abdullah II of Jordan called on countries neighboring Iraq not to send troops. (-al-Zaman) The plea was clearly directed at Turkey, the only…

90 Of Iraqi Public Opposes Turkish

90% of Iraqi Public opposes Turkish Troops: New Iraq Opinion Poll"IRAQ INSTITUTE for DEMOCRACYPress Release :Monday 13th of October 2003Fikri Center, the Opinion Poll department at the Iraq Institute forDemocracy, based in…

Petroleum Figures For Iraq Here Is What

Petroleum figures for IraqHere is what informed readers said about the issue of the figures released by the Coalition Provisional Authority on petroleum production and income:Ed Morse:"Experienced oil men don't necessarily share…

Barzani Urges Arab League To Support

Barzani urges Arab League to Support Exclusion of Turkish Troops from IraqIn Cairo, IGC member Massoud Barzani urged the Arab League to support the Interim Governing Council in rejecting the stationing of…

Bombing Iraqis Angered By Us Failure To

Bombing: Iraqis Angered by US Failure to Provide SecuritySome reports have the dead in Sunday's bombing outside the Baghdad hotel at 8, with 40 wounded. About 10 of those are security guards,…

Explaining Why Bush Administration Went

Explaining Why the Bush Administration Went to War in Iraq - Juan Cole [From the current Boston Review, "The Iraqi Shiites: On the history of America’s would-be allies":]The ambitious aim of the…

One Us Soldier Dead 7 Wounded Iraqi

One US Soldier Dead, 7 wounded; Iraqi policeman dies in Kirkuk, another woundedGuerrillas near Tikrit set off an exposive device at 2:10 pm Sunday between two US humvees. The explosion lightly wounded…

Us Figures On Iraqi Oil Production

US Figures on Iraqi Oil Production ChallengedThe Independent charged on Sunday that the US civil administrators in Iraq have often overstated the amount of petroleum Iraq is able to export under their…

Karbala Pilgrim Attracts Hundreds Of

Karbala Pilgrim attracts Hundreds of Thousands; Muqtada explains Shadow GovernmentHundreds of thousands if not over a million pilgrims crowded into Karbala on Sunday to commemorate the birth of the Twelfth Imam, who…

Shaikh Al Nasiri Demands Seat On

Shaikh al-Nasiri demands seat on Interim Governing CouncilA conference was held in Nasiriya of religious and tribal leaders on Sunday. They demanded that the drafters of the new Iraqi constitution be elected.…

Blast Kills 6 7 Wounds Dozens At

Blast Kills 6-7, wounds dozens at Baghdad HotelTwo cars full of explosives raced toward the Baghdad Hotel early Sunday in Baghdad. The hotel, where many Westerners stay, was protected by security barriers,…

Masoud Barzani Confirms That Interim

Masoud Barzani confirms that the Interim Governing Council's Consensus is against Turkish TroopsMasoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democracy Party and prominent member of the American-appointed Interim Governing Council in Iraq, told…

Mahdis Birthday Celebrated By 1 Million

Mahdi's Birthday Celebrated by 1 Million Shiites in Iraq; Muqtada promises shadow governmentHundreds of thousands, perhaps a million and a half Shiite worshippers crowded into the shrine city of Karbala on Saturday,…

Iraqi Hospitals Still Not Functional Us

Iraqi Hospitals still not FunctionalUS spokesmen keep insisting that Iraq's over 200 major hospitals are back to functioning normally. This statement is manifestly not true, given what reporters have revealed of the…

Us Destroying Orchards Of Uncooperative

US Destroying Orchards of the UncooperativePatrick Cockburn of the Guardian says that US troops are tearing up orchards belonging to clans that they believe are being uncooperative in the hunt for the…

Rush Limbaugh And Pat Robertson Both

Rush Limbaugh and Pat RobertsonBoth far rightwing commentators Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson have been in the news this weekend. Limbaugh, of course, is going into rehab to try to kick his…

Veiling And Male Cousins Noted

Veiling and Male CousinsNoted ignoramus Stanley Kurtz, an India anthropologist who wrote his dissertation on a psychoanalytic theory of Hindu mother goddesses and who knows nothing about the Middle East, has delivered…

Baghdad Most Dangerous City In World

"Baghdad Most Dangerous City in the World" "We've had people Killed on our Front Lawn"David Enders, a recent U-M graduate, has been trying to run an English-language newspaper in Baghdad, but has…

Lame Pr Letters Supposedly From Us

Lame PR Letters supposedly from US Soldiers Backfire on Bush AdministrationLEDYARD KING GANNETT NEWS SERVICE The Olympian Online WASHINGTON -- Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing…

Baghdads Homeless Orphans Justin

Baghdad's Homeless OrphansJustin Alexander, who is in Baghdad on a trip for Jubilee Iraq, discusses a problem I haven't seen others mention, which is the homeless children in Baghdad. He says they…

4 Iraqi Policemen Wounded In Baqubah

4 Iraqi Policemen Wounded in Baqubah; Attacks in Karbala kill one; Pipeline, employees attacked In Falluja, a guerrilla threw a grenade on a passing U.S. military convoy on Friday. The Americans responded…

Army Of Mahdi On Move 10000 Demonstrate

Army of the Mahdi on the Move; 10,000 DemonstrateMilitiamen of Muqtada al-Sadr's Army of the Mahdi spread through the slums of East Baghdad Friday, after two of their number were killed in…

Northern Clergy Condemn Plan To Bring

Northern Clergy Condemn Plan to bring Turkish troops into IraqThe "Union of Muslim Clerics" in nothern Iraq warned Turkey not to become entangled with the Americans. In a communique that the group…

Weblog On Situation Of Women In Iraq

Weblog on Situation of Women in IraqThierry Robin, a French freelancer, is posting on the situation in Iraq from Baghdad Oct. 8 - 22, with a special focus on the position of…

Spanish Intelligence Officer

Spanish Intelligence Officer Assassinated in BaghdadInsurgents assassinated a Spanish diplomat in Baghdad, José Antonio Bernal Gómez, the Information attaché at the Spanish embassy.. They waited until his night guard left at 7…

Day Of Rage In Iraq 3 Us Soldiers Dead

Day of Rage in Iraq: 3 US Soldiers Dead, 5 Wounded, 9 Police killed in Truck BombingGuerrillas ambushed a routine US patrol in the slums of East Baghdad late Thursday night, killing…

World Bank Iraqi Reconstruction Will Be

World Bank: Iraqi Reconstruction will be Delayed by Lack of SecurityThe World Bank and the UN say that the rebuilding of Iraq may take longer than the 4 years they originally estimated,…

Demonstration Against Lack Of Security

Demonstration Against lack of Security at Basra UniversityHundreds of students and faculty demonstrated Thursday against the failure of Coalition troops in the southern Shiite city of Basra to prevent the assassination last…

Senior Member Of College Of Ayatollahs

Senior Member of College of Ayatollahs Slams USThe al-Hawzah al-`Ilmiyyah is the seminary center of leading Shiite clerics in Najaf, which exercises enormous moral authority over Iraqis of that branch of Islam.…

Bushs Diplomatic Failures Hurt Us

Bush's Diplomatic Failures Hurt US ReservistsThe way in which reservists have been virtually kidnapped by the Bush administration, with 170,000 now on active duty and many given one-year overseas assignments, may become…

For Journalist Lawrence Pintaks

For journalist Lawrence Pintak's analysis of the fallout for the US in the Muslim world of Israel's unilateral attack on Syria this week, see:http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1008-08.htm

Attempts To Moderate Stance Of Igc On

Attempts to Moderate Stance of IGC on TurksThe Bush administration is saying that it will not take "no" for an answer from the Interim Governing Council on the issue of Turkish troops.…

One Us Soldier Wounded One Iraqi

One US soldier Wounded, One Iraqi Policemen Killed and another WoundedGuerillas fired rocket-propelled grenades at a US convoy near Balad on Wednesday, wounding one US soldier. In Kirkuk, guerrillas fired an rpg…

Protesters Pelt Us Troops In Baghdad

Protesters Pelt US Troops in Baghdad: Rally by the Army of the MahdiProtesters from the Sadrist "Army of the Mahdi" gathered again Wednesday at a Shiite mosque in southwest Baghdad, demanding the…

Khamenei Calls For Sunni Shiite Unity

Khamenei Calls for Sunni-Shiite Unity in Iraq: SCIRI: no Separation of Religion and StateAbdul Aziz al-Hakim of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq met with Iranian Supreme Jurisprudent Ali Khamenei,…

Riots In Baghdad Rioting Continued For

Riots in BaghdadRioting continued for the third day in Baghdad, this time by nearly 2000 former members of the Iraqi secret police, who want their jobs back. In southwestern Baghdad, a thousand…

Three Us Soldiers Killed 3 Wounded In

Three US soldiers Killed, 3 wounded in Iraq; Mortar at Foreign MinistryGuerrillas killed one US soldier and wounded another near Ramadi west of Baghdad on Monday. Guerrillas killed two other US soldiers,…

Waxman Corporations Angry About Tender

Waxman, Corporations Angry about Tender Process in IraqThe American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, the ambassador to the US of Qatar, several US companies, and Henry Waxman are all angry about the lack of…

Iranian Factions Divided On Which Iraqi

Iranian Factions divided on which Iraqi Shiites to supportAccording to al-Sharq al-Awsat, reformist president Ali Khatami of Iran is supporting Abdul Aziz al-Hakim of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq,…

Turkish Troops Rejected Unanimously By

Turkish Troops Rejected "Unanimously" by Iraqi Governing CouncilThe complete powerlessness and irrelevancy of the so-called Interim Governing Council was demonstrated Wednesday when the US welcomed the Turkish parliament's offer of peace-enforcing troops…

Najaf Religious Authorities Rebuke Igc

Najaf Religious Authorities Rebuke IGC on Nationalities LawThe Interim Governing Council issued a new law on Iraqi nationality in September, allowing dual citizenship. A number of the IGC members have dual citizenship,…

Al Hakim Calls For Iranian Role Abdul

Al-Hakim Calls for Iranian RoleAbdul Aziz al-Hakim, member of the Interim Governing Council and head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, called in a statement distributed to politicians and…

Attacks On Us Bulgarian Troops In

Attacks on US, Bulgarian Troops in Kirkuk and Karbala; Firefight in Beiji Guerrillas fired grenade launchers at Bulgarian troops in Karbala and at US troops in Kirkuk on Monday. Early Monday morning…

Turkish Troops For Iraq Us May Get

Turkish Troops for IraqThe US may get 10,000 or so Turkish troops for Iraq, if the Turkish parliament approves the step. The US military desperately needs the help, but this move is…

Process Of Writing New Constitution

Process of Writing New Constitution DelayedSeemingly irreconcilable differences will delay the writing of an Iraqi constitution, says journalist Ahmad Mukhtar in Iraq Today. He says that the Shiites on the Interim Governing…

References Httpwww

Referenceshttp://www.novinite.com/newsletter/print.php?id=26801Robin Wright on Iran and Iraqhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-usiran4oct04-1.storyDelays in writing Iraqi Constitutionhttp://www.iraq-today.com/article.php?id=11New Iraqi nationality lawhttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-10/01/content_1108999.htm

Jordanian Islamists Ask Government Not

Jordanian Islamists ask Government not to Train Iraqi PoliceJordan's Islamists asked the government of King Abdullah II not to train 30,000 Iraqi police, as is now planned. They said it was inappropriate…

Israeli Attack On Syria Poses Dilemma

Israeli Attack on Syria Poses Dilemma to Old Guard in DamascusI heard the Israeli ambassador to the UN allege on Sunday that Israel's attack on Syria on Sunday resembled the US attack…

Unemployment Riots In Baghdad And Basra

Unemployment Riots in Baghdad and Basra for Second DayHundreds of former soldiers rioted in Basra and demonstrated in Baghdad on Sunday, after similar violence on Saturday in Basra, Baghdad and Hilla. In…

No Al Qaeda Connection Found Kay Us

No al-Qaeda connection Found: KayUS weapons inspector David Kay admitted that his team's exhaustive sifting of documentation on Iraq's weapons programs turned up no evidence of any link to al-Qaeda whatsoever. Proponents…

Bangladesh Division Ruled Out

Bangladesh Division Ruled OutBangladesh told US Secretary of State Colin Powell that it would not send troops to Iraq, only peace-keepers. Moreover, it would only send peace-keepers if an elected government of…

References Hirst On Syria Httpwww

ReferencesHirst on Syria:http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1056693,00.htmlBangladesh: http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_5329.shtmlNo al-Qaeda link to Iraq:http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/mon/oct6w2.htm

No American Imposed Constitution Al

No American-Imposed Constitution - al-MudarrisiProminent cleric Taqi al-Mudarrisi in Karbala warned the US Sunday not to attempt to impose on Iraq a constitution that was inappropriate to it. He also warned against…

Secret Deal Between Us And Iran On Iraq

Secret Deal between US and Iran on IraqThe United States entered into secret negotiations with the Iranian regime with regard to Iraq, according to al-Zaman. It said that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman…

One Us Soldier Killed Three Wounded

One US Soldier Killed, three Wounded.Guerrillas in Sadiyah, 60 miles north of Baghdad, killed one US soldier from the 4th Infantry Division and wounded another late Friday. Two US soldiers were also…

Iraqis Forbidden To Work For Some Us

Iraqis Forbidden to work for Some US ContractorsThe New York Times finally broke the story on Saturday of the US rebuilding efforts in Iraq being overly expensive because there is a failure…

Novak Leak Outs Cia Front Company Cia

Novak Leak Outs CIA Front CompanyThe CIA uses fictional or semi-real companies as fronts sometimes, and Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife used one as a cover. Columnist Robert Novak's irresponsible outing of her…

Cook Says Blair Knew Iraqi Wmd No

Cook Says Blair Knew Iraqi WMD no ThreatBritish PM Tony Blair at one point alleged that Iraq could launch a WMD strike on Europe within "45 minutes." He appears, however, to have…

Unemployment Riots In Baghdad Al Hilla

Unemployment Riots in Baghdad, al-Hilla and BasraFormer Iraqi soldiers reporting to collect a payment $40 became outraged at the long waits they faced at offices in Baghdad, al-Hilla and Basra, and rioted…

Sadrists Have Some Tribal Support In

Sadrists Have Some Tribal Support in Southern CitiesI often get asked by journalists and others whether Muqtada al-Sadr should be taken seriously, or whether he is just a young punk with some…

10000 Shiites Mourn In Najaf Some 10000

10,000 Shiites Mourn in NajafSome 10,000 mourners (other reports say more) showed up in Najaf for the 40-day commemoration of the assassination of Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim on Friday. The brother and…

Bombing In Basra Averted Iraqi Police

Bombing in Basra AvertedIraqi police in Basra also discovered a huge bomb in Al-Tanuma Square near the bridge over the Shatt al-Arab, disarming it before it could wreak havoc in the crowded…

Continued Attacks On Us Troops Wound

Continued Attacks on US Troops Wound Iraqis InsteadGuerrillas set off a roadside bomb in Khalidiya on Friday, damaging US military vehicles; no injuries were suffered by our troops. Guerrillas in Baghdad threw…

Iran May Send Reconstruction Aid To

Iran may Send Reconstruction Aid to IraqThe US continues to be schizophrenic on the issue of Iran. The State Department appears to have reached out to the Iranians for help with reconstructing…

Iyad Alawi Takes Over Presidency Of Igc

Iyad Alawi takes over Presidency of IGCIyad Alawi became president of the Interim Governing Council on October 1, in accordance with a compromise that lets each of 9 IGC members take one-month…

Wesley Clark Calls For Criminal

Wesley Clark Calls for Criminal Investigation of Bush Iraq policyPresidential hopeful Gen. Wesley Clark said Friday he believes the Bush administration should be investigated for possible criminal wrongdoing in the case it…

Land Ruled By Chaos Goldenberg Suzanne

"A Land Ruled by Chaos" - GoldenbergSuzanne Goldenberg's long account of her recent journey to Iraq in The Guardian sounds an awful lot more like the Iraq visible in Arabic-speaking journalists' accounts…

References Clark Bush Should Face

References"Clark: Bush Should Face Inquiry"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/10/04/wclark04.xml&sSheet;=/portal/2003/10/04/ixportaltop.htmlRobin Wright and Maggie Farley, "US Tries,"http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/complete/la-fg-chalabi3oct03,1,1966418.story?coll=la-iraq-completeRobin Wright, "Iran May Assist"http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-usiran4oct04-1,1,6759673.story?coll=la-home-headlinesGoldenberg, "A Land Ruled by Chaos"http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1055766,00.html